My rescue cat leaves food in his bowl. Does he feel secure?

If your vet says Calcifer is at a healthy weight, then I wouldn't worry. It sounds like he is eating what he needs, and he's stopping when he's full. That's good because you don't want him to overeat. Best of luck.

Ah, cats. They are all so unique, and many of them don't particularly like humans. It goes against their instincts to be held or petted by humans. The best thing you can do right now is just to love Simon in the way he prefers. That may be playing with a toy, light petting down the back with an open hand, or even rough rubbing on the face/chin/ears. I wouldn't expect a kitten of his age to be overweight since they are usually quite active. You can try to prevent obesity by measuring out his food and not giving treats or human food. I recommend following the feeding guidelines on the bag of food. It is generally close to 1/2 cup per day. You could divide this into 1/4 cup twice a day. And that means using an actual measuring cup and not "eyeballing" it will a drinking glass.

Some pets get in the habit of eating a certain way. They become conditioned in a sense to doing things a certain way and feel safer with their owners there for them. Cats in particular like to have flat dinner trays to avoid any rubbing of their whiskers when they eat. They are still very much un-domesticated in a lot of ways and so they want to make sure they can see around them while eating as a defense mechanism. This may be why your kitty likes to eat from your flat hand that is raised off the floor, because he/she feels safer in that position. You can try a flat dinner tray that is slightly raised off the floor and see if this encourages your kitty to eat on his/her own.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It seems like you are doing a great job with his feeding so I would not change the amount at all and he does not need to eat all day. Having the amounts separated like now is a good idea. Just make sure to go by the feeding guidelines on the back of the food bag or can. You are already doing a good job if Darwin’s body condition is 3 in a 1-5 scale so keep up the good work. Good luck and have a great day!

It may just be that your cat enjoys your company and feels safe while he eats. If you don't want to be there, you can start feeding him and then taking a step back further away at each meal gradually until he is comfortable eating with you out of the room.

Most cats only need to eat around 3/4-1 cup of food daily (1 cup= 1 can). So if you are feeding him more than this, you are likely putting too much in the bowl. Also split up the daily meal into two so that the leftover food isn’t sitting there getting stale. Most cats graze anyway, this is normal. However if you are already doing those things then you do have the choice to relinquish ownership of Wilkie. This is a hard decision to make when considering giving up a pet. Which is why when you adopt a pet you have to assume full responsibility for them, even when they are not perfect. However, if you feel it is detrimental to his health for him to remain with you and have a good no-kill shelter or home for him to go to, then adopting him to a more suitable forever home can be considered. Here is a website link too that may help you with tips to try and build the bond you have with Wilkie if you do decide to keep him. Indoorpet.osu.edu Jacksongalaxy.com Best of luck in deciding how to best care for Wilkie moving forward. Take care.

I think he is likely stressed and unsure of his new surroundings. I suggest you get a Feliway diffuser to put in the room with him. It is a wall plug-in that emits pheromones to relieve stress in cats and calm them. It really works wonders in the majority of cats. You can buy these online or at any large pet store like Petco. Be sure that room he is in is very calm and quiet. ( https://www.feliway.com/us/Products/FELIWAY-CLASSIC-Diffuser ) Also, you may need to try a different food or a different form of food. I suggest putting out multiple options for him like 2 different varieties of dry food and 2 different types of wet food (one pate type and one chunky) to which he prefers and go from there. You can always call the shelter and ask what they were feeding him although they may not know. I suggest trying a "light" or reduced calorie food as at 14 pounds he is a bit overweight. We like to keep cats at 12 pounds or less to prevent diseases like diabetes, orthopedic issues and heart disease. If he does start eating in the next 24 hours then I suggest you get him to a vet for an exam. Hope this helps. Best wishes.